County: Meath Site name: ST ANNE’S, NAVAN
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: 11E041
Author: Rosanne Meenan
Site type: No archaeological significance
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 687056m, N 767564m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 53.650599, -6.683165
The site lies within the Zone of Archaeological Potential for Navan (ME025-044). The line of the town wall in this sector of the town is not clear. The Urban Survey for County Meath suggests that the town wall runs southwards from Trimgate Street and returns eastwards at a point at the north-east corner of the car park. Both Thomas (1992, 171) and Map 3 of the Navan Development Plan 2009–2013 show the north–south length of the wall here as running southwards to the junction of Railway Street and Fairgreen and then taking a curved loop eastwards to Dublin Gate on Ludlow Street. If the latter route was the case, the town wall may have run through the middle of the development site.
A graveyard associated with St Anne’s Convent was situated in the north-west corner of the development site. The burials were removed in the 1980s to St Mary’s graveyard, Navan. Seven trenches were excavated. At the north-west corner, the disturbance caused by the burial ground was plainly visible. The area had been backfilled after removal of the burials.
Five other features showed up over the rest of the site. Feature 3 consisted of the remains of a very insubstantial wall built of rubble stone. It was present in Trenches 5 and 6. Feature 4 was a possible pit in Trench 5; blue and white transfer-printed ware was found in the fill. Feature 5 was a possible drainage feature. The purpose of Feature 6 was not clear but there was no indication of its date. Feature 7 was a wide, shallow north–south ditch or trench in Trench 6; there was brick in the fill.
All of the long east–west trenches showed that clay and stone had been brought onto the site to bring up the level of the ground along the eastern side. This was probably carried out in the 19th century.
Trenches 1–3 tested the line of a proposed new boundary wall along the northern side. There was no evidence to indicate the survival of archaeological features on the site and no artefacts were recovered. There was no indication that the town wall had crossed the site.
Reference
Thomas, A. 1992 The walled towns of Ireland, Vol. 2. Dublin.
Roestown, Drumree, Co. Meath
